Monday, September 27, 2010

I just wanted to say how proud I am that every Olympus football game so far I have only had to pay the price of a student. I pass as a high school student. I know that I am only 4 years older then a high schooler but I think It's pretty cool. It helps that I am only 5'2". I noticed when I was in Africa that no one there believed that I was the oldest. They always thought I was the youngest because I was the shortest. At the first welcoming ceremony in Kenya this African man explained to the village (in swahili) that McCall was the younger sibling to Dallin and I was the older one. Some random African in the crowd yelled out "but she is short." Everyone started laughing and I just stood there. That was my first welcome to Africa. I'll take it as long as it gets me $3 off a football ticket!

My school is located behind and to the side of Whole Foods. I occasionally wander over there on my break. I like to look at all the weird, natural, organic things they have. Some of the things are so weird. Especially their makeup/ beauty section. I have made friends with this cute check out girl. We always comment on each other's nail polish or head bands or talk about the latest celebrity gossip. I enjoy our 5 minute conversations every so often. It's nice to talk to another adult for a few minutes when I've been talking to kids all day. The other day she reached up to fix her hair and I learned something new about her... she represents Whole Foods to the extreme-she had some nice hair under her arm. Not the kind of hair like she forgot to shave today. I'm talkin it's been a few years. Yay for granolas.

I am also really confused about a good majority of the Whole Foods employees. They spend their time representing and advertising no chemical, organic, natural...etc. foods and products. However, I see A LOT of them outside the store smoking. I'm so confused about that. I'm sorry but it's gonna take the aspartame in my Diet Coke and the red dye #5 in my Swedish Fish a lot longer to kill me then the chemicals in your cigarette. I'm just saying

So here is a weird story about a kid in my preschool class. Two weeks ago our theme was "families." We talked about a different family member each day-moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousins. The day before the "dad" day this mom came in and asked if she could talk to me. I knew that she had just got divorced and her and her boy were living with her mom. I figured she was going to tell me that when we talk about this boy's dad to say something to the extent of "he lives in another house" or "even though mom and dad aren't married it doesn't mean he isn't your dad." Boy was I wrong. She told me that they are telling the child that he doesn't have a dad. This boy is only 3 years old. Very confusing for a 3 year old boy. The man she was married to, living with and since this boy can remember has always been known as dad isn't his biological father. Once the divorce was final she had this idea to say that he didn't have a dad. She then looked at her child and said "we will find you another one some day." I think I just stood there and didn't move for like 5 minutes after she left. When it was time for "dad" day we just skipped over that child. There was no way I was going to say "(insert child's name) doesn't have a dad."

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

In my class last year Wednesday was the dreaded day. It was always just a hard day. I thought maybe because it was a hard mix of kids. I was happy when it was the new year so I could enjoy my Wednesdays. Nope. I was wrong. Wednesdays are bad and crazy no matter what class you are in. The whole school is crazy and wild on Wednesdays. Here's looking forward to Thursdays.

Last week was the first week with my new class. My new class is called the Crocodiles. These kids are 2 1/2 almost 3 years old. The first day of school was oh so very hard. I hated not walking into my class room. I hated not seeing my 10 beautiful babies. I hated not being able to talk to Kim and Brianne. I hated having 14 new children stare at me and call me Teacher. My name isn't Teacher. I hated not knowing where anything was in my new class. I hated seeing my old class walk down the hall and run to me screaming. They were scared of their new teacher. They didn't know who she was. I hated that my new class yells at me and runs from me. I hated not being able to snuggle and rock my sweet toddlers to sleep. I spent the whole first day of school constantly telling myself "This is my new class. These are my new kids." It was really hard. I felt like I was starting a new job. I didn't feel comfortable in my new class. I didn't know the parents. They didn't know me. We had to build that trust all over again. The first week was hard. Really, really hard. 14 2yr. olds is hard. I spent a lot of my time researching and talking with expert teachers on effective classroom management. By day 5 I finally felt like this is my class. My heart wasn't aching for my old toddlers. My heart was rejoicing when I walked in the room and the kids said "Hi Lacee." My class finally started listening to me. They finally started understanding the routine of the day. They finally started to clean up when it was time to. And to line up with it was time to. I have been very creative with my classroom management. These are some things that have helped me:

1. I play this CD that has clean up songs on it. They know when that is being played it is time to clean up. It is not time to play.

2. I have split the class in half- green circles and blue triangles. These are the groups they play centers with. These are the groups they line up in. These are the groups that take turn washing hands. It's a lot easier to manage 7 kids rather then 14 all at once.

3. I cut out bright orange hand prints. I lined them up along the wall by our door. 7 on the left side and 7 on the right side. When it is time to line up I say find a hand print. Circles on one side. Triangles on the other.

4. The sticker fairy comes at nap time. You sleep, you wake up with a sticker.

5. If it's a crazy day I close down all the centers except one. When they have showed me they can clean up then I will open another.

I know these things sound silly but they are working. I am less stressed. I was worried that the 3 day weekend would erase all my hard work- drilling these kids to listen to me. I was very pleasantly surprised that today was a great day!!

Last Friday we had a big teacher prep day. We had the whole day to make our new classrooms beautiful. I have to say that I was not excited about this day. I couldn't even go into the Butterfly room. It was too sad to have to say good bye and hello to a new class. Will I love these new kids like I did my old ones?

This is what my class looked like before I beautified it.

Notice how unorganized.

Notice the bare yucky walls.

I put the alphabet along the wall

This is the cozy book reading corner.

Notice the cute circles on the wall. (Thanks Candice)

I went crazy cutting out letters.

Notice how it says Learn on the wall.

Notice how it says fun

The cute bulletin board I made.

I cute out the cutest numbers.

These kids better appreciate all this hard work I have put into making it look darling!!

On the last day of school the teachers in my class threw the kids an ice cream party. My class for some reason became obsessed with Elmo. I think it started with the twins because their sister has a huge stuffed Elmo. A while back I burnt an Elmo cd. My class LOVED it. So we threw an Elmo ice cream party. They loved it. It was so cute. It was a good way to end the year. I am so sad that I will not get to see these cute kids anymore.

We aren't supose to post any pictures of our class online- do to the fact that some child molester will use that information and come steal my babies. However, I'm breaking a rule. How could I not with a picture as cute as this? She is darling!!!!!Note to child molesters that are reading this: Haha this girl isn't in my class anymore so you don't know where to find her if you come to my school. You also don't know her name or you don't know if she even still goes to my school. Sorry but I win!

When I got home from Africa I had about 3 weeks left with my preschool class. Then it was the end of the school year and onto a new class. I was so sad the last week of school. I had watched my class grow up. From newborns to walking, talking toddlers. This was my first class. I love these children. I will be so sad to see them with a new teacher. With a new girl they cling to. When I first started my class I blogged about each child. To keep my kids safe I gave them nick names. Here is the final update on my class (with newish nicknames because now they have personalities of their very own):

Drama Queen- She is very particular. If someone is in her space she screams. She can eat more then a grown person, but yet she is tiny. I lover her mom. She is darling!!! When she sleeps she needs 3 things- her elephant, her sea horse and her blankie.

Thing one- AHHH I love her! This is how you can tell her apart from her sister. Her face is round and her name starts with a C. We have this little stuffed dog in our class. She has taken it as her own. She loves that thing. She finally learned to walk. They were walking when I got home from Africa. I was so excited. We have yet to figure out how to put her to sleep.

Thing two- AHHH love her also!! She is my buddy. Her face lights up whenever I walk in the room. She is darling. How you can tell her apart from her sister is her face is long and skinny and her name starts with a J. She knows all her animal sounds. It is so stinking cute when she says BAHH and MEOWWW. I will be the most sad about losing the twins.

Designer Jeans- She is the cutest red head I have ever seen. She has a very cute personality. She doesn't like to be wrestled with or tickled. Her parents are both very cute and young. She is always in the CUTEST clothes.

Stinky baby- She was coming full time and then they pulled out to come 2 days a week and then they added full time again. I'm glad that she came the whole week. She is really easy going. She is never upset or mad. She is really pretty.

Momma's boy- He is about the same as my first update. His mom loves him. He is always sick. Maybe it's because his mom is a little over protective. He has become the biter of our class.

The smallest but the toughest- This girl is TINY! However, don't pick a fight with her. She is tough. She climbs all over, falls and gets right back up. She also has no hair. I'm talking bald! She is so cute.

Who?- We don't really know his personality. He only comes 2 days a week and the whole time he screams and throws tantrums. He doesn't let us cuddle him or anything. He just does his own thing. His mom just had a baby. Cute!

Stranger Danger- He slowly got over his stranger anxiety. YAY! He actually turned out to be really funny. He is really smart. He can talk and sing.

Drama King- This boy is so funny. He was our last one to learn to walk. If he is sitting in reach of a toy he will point to it and whine until someone can get it for him. It is so funny. I think he will have the hardest time with this new adjustment. He is really funny when you tickle him and he gets laughing.